Vice President U S

The gaffes keep piling up: the untimely comments stoking fears of swine flu, dismissals of Russia that seem straight out of the Cold War. But in defiance of the normal rules of American politics, Vice President Joe Biden appears to be solidifying his relationship with his boss and accumulating more assignments central to the administration's agenda. Having lined up support in the Senate to assure passage of the $787-billion economic stimulus plan, Biden was recently tapped by President Obama to play a bigger role in the healthcare debate that is now dominating the congressional agenda.

No one can agree on what exactly happened the day a Colorado man spotted Dick Cheney strolling the streets of a ski resort town and decided to give the vice president a piece of his mind. Steve Howards, 55, says he walked up to Cheney and delivered his message -- "Your policies in Iraq are disgusting" -- then lightly touched the vice president's shoulder. The White House photographer says he saw Howards slap Cheney on the back.

On the eve of Bob Dole's announcement of his vice presidential running mate in 1996, John McCain knew he was under serious consideration. But he was on an ill-timed trip to Hawaii -- without a cellphone. As he tells it, he spent most of the time worried about missing a call to his hotel room, which never came. He learned Dole had passed him over for Jack Kemp when he flipped on the television news.

The resignation of Barack Obama's "vetter in chief" Wednesday may introduce yet another layer to the already intensive process of identifying a vice presidential candidate -- vetting the vetters. James A. Johnson, a well-connected Washington political insider, was supposed to help Obama find a running mate whose past would not embarrass the ticket. His sudden resignation amid criticism of his own past financial dealings spotlights just how crucial that role has become.

As John McCain campaigns around the country, there's a topic that the self-described straight talker tries to dodge: choosing a running mate. Yet the issue is coming up almost everywhere he goes. On Wednesday, McCain headed a discussion on energy at Missouri State University in Springfield. At his side sat tall, square-jawed Gen. James L. Jones.

Barack Obama told a potential donor to his campaign that Hillary Rodham Clinton is on his list of possible vice presidential running mates, but that her husband's status as a former president makes matters "complicated." Jill Iscol, a faithful Democratic donor who was an ardent supporter of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, said Obama reached out to her because he heard she was unhappy about the way the New York senator had been treated by the Democratic Party and the media.

In the much-hyped search for John McCain's vice presidential candidate, former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge often surfaced as a possibility. The two entered Congress together in 1982. McCain called Ridge a "beloved friend" and "one of the ideal Americans that I have ever known" in a recent Wilkes-Barre, Pa., appearance. And the Republican presidential candidate could use the former Pennsylvania governor's help turning the Keystone State into a red state.

Sarah Palin must sound authoritative and authentic. Joe Biden must sound informed and inoffensive. Both need to reach through the television to connect with middle America. With Wall Street gyrating and voter interest skyrocketing, tonight's televised contest stands as an oddity: a vice presidential debate that could actually matter. The stakes could hardly be greater, particularly for the Republicans.

WASHINGTON -- Voters have by now memorized Sarah Palin's string of historic firsts on a Republican presidential ticket: first woman, first hockey mom, first moose dresser. Now it turns out the 44-year-old Alaska governor has injected another groundbreaker into national politics. She's a winker. She winks on rope lines and at rallies. She winked at least six times at 70 million viewers on the vice presidential debate platform opposite her rival, Sen.

Vice President Dick Cheney is set to depart Monday for a weeklong trip to Asia, and many in Washington are wondering whether he might be grateful for an excuse to high-tail it out of town. The past few weeks have not been kind to the vice president -- or at least to his public image. Last week, a close ally was dressed down by the Pentagon inspector general for skewing intelligence before the Iraq war.